A lifeline for heritage out of thin air?

Each year, a new series of coffee-table books feeds Lebanon’s nostalgia with vintage photographs and cityscapes that celebrate the country’s rich architectural past. Today, the old Lebanon survives through a dwindling number of heritage buildings, now barely unrecognizable compared to the images of the city when in bygone decades. Having survived the war, the remaining structures have been left to decay, collapse, and make way for larger, modern developments amid a growing scarcity of buildable land. Lately, a long-awaited draft law to protect heritage buildings—which had lain untouched for over a year on the government’s doorstep—is beginning to gain traction. If enacted, the new law would incentivize owners of heritage building to maintain their properties. The law targets older buildings that are indexed on the Ministry of Culture’s heritage list. In principle, this list safeguards structures with heritage value by restricting the disbursement of demolition permits, thereby prohibiting their destruction.